A New Life is Waiting
by AngstyBob
Summary: Mick is re-located. This was my entry for the East Coast Moonlight Convention FanFic contest - it took first place among entries from those who couldn't attend the con.


**A New Life is Waiting** (First Place winner at East Coast Moonlight Convention FanFic Contest (non-attendees)

Mick sat on the couch in Josef's apartment, slumped forward with his head in his hands.

"How can this be?" Mick asked.

Josef shrugged. "You had to have seen it coming," he answered, "you've been pissing a lot of people off. Someone was bound to get tired of it."  
"Yeah, but Talbot?" Mick protested. "I thought he was on our side."

"He is," said Josef, "but The Legion has been in touch with him. They say you're out of control. They demanded that he do something, and if he hadn't, they would have."

Mick thought for a moment, then looked up at his friend, his eyes brimming with tears. "So I'm being relocated," he said.

"To Detroit," Josef acknowledged. "A fate worse than death."

Mick managed a weak laugh. "I can think of worse places," he said.

"Remind me not to ask your advice on vacation spots," Josef said.

The two men stood and met in an embrace the middle of the room.

"I'm gonna miss you, brother," Josef said, his voice wavering with emotion.

Mick patted Josef on the back. "Me too," he said. "We had some good times, didn't we?"

"We sure did, Mick," Josef said. "We sure did."

Beth was surprised to find Mick at her door. "Come on in," she said. "Is there something wrong?"

Mick walked over to her couch and sat down, patting the spot next to him. "Come sit with me," he said.

Beth sat down next to Mick. "What is it?"

Mick spent a few moments looking into Beth's beautiful eyes before speaking. "You know I love you more than anything in the world, right?"

Beth frowned. "Of course I do. What's this about?"

Mick took her hand in his. "I've somehow made it onto The Legion's black list. I'm being relocated."

Beth stared at Mick, then blinked and shook her head. "I thought you said you've been careful."

"Evidently not careful enough," Mick answered. "They're moving me to another city. I leave tomorrow."

Beth thought about this for a moment. "So where are we going?" She began to get up off the couch. "I need to know what to pack."

Mick still had her hand, and he gently pulled her back down beside him.

"You don't understand, Beth," he said. "I'm being relocated. Alone. I can't even tell you where I'm going."

Beth's eyes filled with tears. "They can't do this to us!" she protested. "After everything we've been through, everything we've built together…this can't be happening!" She threw her arms around Mick's neck and held him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and spoke softly into her ear.

"I wish it wasn't happening," he whispered, "but we have rules – rules that aren't open to negotiation."

"Crap on your stupid vampire rules!" Beth spat. Her face was contorted and soaked with her tears – her eyes the eyes of a woman who was in the process of having her heart ripped out of her chest. "Doesn't the love we feel for each other mean anything?"

Mick wiped at his own tears with the back of one hand and tried to quote one of their favorite movies. "The problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world," he said, doing his best Bogey. Beth's back heaved under his arms as she sobbed.

"How did things get so messed up?" she asked.

Mick didn't have an answer for that, so he said nothing.

The following day was a typically beautiful sunny spring day in southern California. Not a cloud in the sky, a light breeze and almost 70 degrees. The forecast for Detroit was for clouds, rain and a high of 43. Mick, Beth and Josef stood at the security checkpoint inside LAX. No-one seemed to know what to say, but Josef understood that it was his duty to say goodbye to his friend first and let Mick and Beth say their goodbyes privately.

"Well, Mick," Josef said, extending his hand, "I wish I could say I'll keep in touch, but as you know, that's not how this sort of thing works."

Mick took Josef's hand and pulled him into a bear hug. "I won't send you a postcard," Mick said, adding, "you'd better get outta here before I get all emotional."

Freed from Mick's hug, Josef took a couple of steps backward and, offering a salute, turned around and walked away. "I'll wait for you at the car," he called out to Beth behind him. He sounded on the verge of tears.

Beth was beyond the verge. She had been sniffling and dabbing at her eyes since they got into Josef's limo for the ride to the airport. "Now what?" she asked. She looked miserable.

"Now we say goodbye," Mick answered. He walked over to her and took her in his arms. She melted into him, and he inhaled deeply, registering the scent of her hair, the perfume she was wearing. He held her close, knowing this would be the last time he felt the soft contours of Beth's body under his hands – contours that had become so very familiar to him.

As Mick's head was swimming in her wonderful smells, Beth was cherishing the feel of his leather coat, the scent of his cologne, the feel of his cheek against hers. She always felt so safe in Mick's arms. The thought of never knowing that feeling again was more than she could take, and it brought a fresh round of tears.

Mick pulled her tighter. "It's going to be all right," he said. Beth felt the warmth of his breath on her ear, and her skin erupted in goose bumps. Suddenly she was furious with him.

"How can you say it's going to be all right?" she demanded, pulling out of his embrace. She turned her angry face up to his, and her anger faded as she realized that Mick had been crying, too. "I'm so sorry," she said, taking his face in her hands. "I just don't know how I can go on without you."

"You're strong. You've always been strong," Mick said. "And Josef has promised me he'll look after you."

Beth was angry all over again. "I don't need to be looked after, I need to be with you!"

A voice on the airport public address system interrupted them. "Passenger St. John, passenger Mick St. John, please report immediately to gate C-14."

"Crap", Mick said. "That's my flight." He looked at his watch. "I have to get going or it'll leave without me."

"I don't care if it does!" Beth pleaded. "You can't leave me like this!"

Mick held Beth at arms length. "This is the way it's got to be," he said firmly. "If I stayed, you'd always be in danger, and I couldn't live with that."

Tears streamed down Beth's face. "But I can't live without you!"

Mick pulled Beth to him and kissed her deeply. The feel of her soft lips against his made him feel light-headed. It always had. Beth kissed him back as if it were the end of the world. In a way, it was. The end of her world.

Mick forced himself to release her. He looked into her eyes. "I have always loved you," he said, his own tears rolling down his cheeks. "I will always love you." Mick turned abruptly and headed for the security checkpoint, his boarding pass and drivers' license in hand.

Beth reached for him, grabbing a handful of his jacket. "Hey," she said. Mick stopped and turned around. "I love you, too." Mick smiled, then turned and disappeared into the crowd shuffling through the checkpoint.

Beth took a few steps and then felt her knees giving out. She leaned with her back against the wall and slid down to the floor, burying her face in her hands, finally losing control of her emotions. Passengers walked past her, some staring, others stifling giggles. Beth didn't notice. She hardly noticed when Josef appeared at her side, helped her up and steadied her as they walked to his waiting limo.

For Mick, the overnight flight from L.A. to Detroit was a blur. He thought a couple of Bloody Mary's would numb the pain but they only deepened his depression. He put his seat back and tried to sleep, but every time he opened his eyes and looked at his watch it was only a few minutes later than the last time he checked. The attractive woman in a business suit sitting next to him tried to start a conversation at one point, but when she saw his swollen blood-shot eyes she decided it might be better to concentrate on her laptop instead.

Mick must have finally dozed off, because the next thing he knew the captain was announcing their descent into Detroit. To Mick it felt more like a descent into Hell.

Entering the baggage claim area, Mick looked for his driver. He saw a man dressed in a crisp, dark suit holding a sign that read "Gallagher". Mick was going to have to get used to his new name. Pat Gallagher. And his new profession - Homicide Detective with the police department in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak.

"Welcome to Detroit, Mr. Gallagher," the driver said. "My name is Blackwood, and I'll be helping you get situated here."

Mick accepted the outstretched hand. "You got a first name, Blackwood?" Mick asked.

"It's Bob, sir. Bob Blackwood," the driver answered.

"Nice to meet you, Bob," Mick said, trying to smile and not really succeeding. "And please call me Mi…," Mick caught himself. "Call me Pat. And please excuse me if I don't seem thrilled to be here."

"Of course," Blackwood said. "Relocations are seldom easy."

Blackwood led Mick out of the terminal to a stretch limo. Mick climbed into the back, and Blackwood got behind the wheel and pulled away from the curb. Mick noticed a satchel on the seat next to him.

"Everything you'll need to get started is in the satchel," Blackwood said. Mick opened it, and found a new driver's license, police department ID and a couple of credit cards, all in the name of Pat Gallagher. There was also 200 in cash.

"If you'll leave your old cards and ID in the satchel I'll dispose of them for you," Blackwood said. Mick took out his old things and placed them in the satchel. He put his new stuff and the cash in his wallet.

"If you'd like a drink, you'll find the bar is stocked," Blackwood offered. Mick opened the cabinet in front of him and found a small refrigerator. He opened the refrigerator door. Inside were eight bags of blood. He chose one marked O-Positive and drained it. It left a strange taste in his mouth. This was most definitely not California blood. He figured he was going to have to get used to it.

About half an hour later the limo pulled to a stop in the driveway of a nondescript suburban ranch-style home. Blackwood opened the limo door and Mick climbed out. As Mick walked up the sidewalk, the front door of the house opened. A cleaner stood in the doorway and motioned for Mick to come inside.

"Welcome home, Mr. Gallagher," the cleaner said.

Mick offered a sarcastic smile as he walked past her. "Yeah, thanks a lot."

His new home could've been any of the millions of suburban homes around the country. It had a living room, a family room, a kitchen, a dining room, a laundry room and a master bedroom and guest bedroom with attached bathrooms. It also had a two-car garage.

The cleaner jotted a phone number on a sticky note and pressed it onto the wall next to the phone. "If there's anything I can do to help make your transition easier, let me know."

"Thanks," Mick said, "but right now I'd just like to be alone for a while."

"I understand," the cleaner said, handing Mick his new house keys. She walked out, passing Blackwood on his way in.

"Along with your house keys, you'll find the keys to you car," he told Mick.

"What kind of car is it?"

"It's a Toyota. A Prius hybrid, I believe."

"Figures," Mick said.

Blackwood stood silently for a moment. "Will there be anything else?"

"No. Thanks for everything, Bob." They shook hands, and Blackwood left, closing the front door behind him.

It was nearly daybreak, and all Mick wanted to do was sleep. He walked into the master bedroom. He found a king-size bed, but no freezer. He opened the doors to the walk-in closet and discovered the freezer hidden behind a rack of clothes. It was exactly like his freezer in L.A. "A little touch of home in a strange, new land," Mick mumbled as he got undressed. He climbed into the freezer and closed the lid. In the darkness, the emotion of the day threatened to overwhelm him. He had never cried himself to sleep before, and he was determined not to start now. But as his breathing slowed and his thoughts again turned to Beth, a tear escaped the corner of his eye and crystallized on his cheek.

Mick was startled awake by the sound of his doorbell. He sat up in the freezer and grabbed his watch from the side table. It was nine p.m. He had slept for about 17 hours.

Mick threw a robe on and shuffled down the hallway toward the front door. As he got closer to the door he began to sense that he knew the person waiting on the other side. He breathed in deeply, and there was no mistaking the scent. Mick was practically running when he reached the door and threw it open. Beth leapt into his open arms, covering his face with kisses.

"Beth!" Mick cried. "I thought I would never see you again!" He kissed her and held her tight, her feet dangling several inches off the floor. "But how?"

"It's not Beth any more," Beth said as Mick set her down. "It's Emily. Emily Gallagher." The look of surprise on Mick's face was nearly comical.

"Emily Gallagher?" he asked, his eyebrow rising.

"It's all been arranged," Beth answered, beaming. "I'm your wife!"

Mick looked over Beth's shoulder to see a limo backing out of his driveway. The moonroof slid back and Josef poked his head out. "You two owe me big time!" he said, and waved as the limo rolled down the street. Mick and Beth waved back and walked into the house hand-in-hand, closing the door to their new home and their new life behind them.


End file.
